The Goal is the Ending Fairy - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Translator: Iris
Proofreader: Floor

The reason I had been able to play this game so calmly until now was simple: my confidence as a veteran player.

I had experienced countless in-game events and consistently achieved top scores.

The passives I acquired along the way certainly helped, making everything feel like smooth sailing.

But perhaps that was the problem. Now, this felt like a penalty being handed down specifically to me.

I should have known from the moment the rewards felt too generous in the beginning. The character itself was set to ‘Hard Mode’ from the start, and I just didn’t realize it.

A trainee surrounded by rumors is at a distinct disadvantage for debuting.

What if the pre-determined debut members were harboring the same misunderstandings?

I was on good terms with Yoon Heejo and Lee Jinyoo, but there was no guarantee the others felt the same.

The one thing I wanted to avoid at all costs was being hated by them, but it felt inevitable.

“Haa……”

[Da-na nim?]

“Just… let me think for a second.”

The ultimate goal hadn’t changed, but the list of intermediate problems to solve had just grown.

This was the worst-case scenario.

How was I supposed to handle this situation, which was undoubtedly tangled for a dozen different reasons?

As I pressed my temples with a weary expression, the Helper flew closer.

[B-but! They say you never skipped practice or caused a major scene during team evaluations!]

“So what? My lack of skill was probably the ‘scene’.”

[Ah… I can’t deny that.]

Either way, it was a mess.

Participating in team evaluations doesn’t automatically grant redemption. For someone already disliked, it could actually make them look worse.

“Got it for now.”

Dammit. The more I thought about it, the more annoying it got.

I couldn’t ignore it, yet I couldn’t afford to be impatient either.

It was incredibly complicated.

Anyway, now that I roughly understood the situation, I had to solve the problem right in front of me.

Priority number one: the First Mission and the Main Quest.

And in a little while, a very, very important shoot for both would begin.

What was the shoot?

The ‘Self PR Video.’

Today, ten days before the first mission, was the day to film the Self PR.

…….

…But immediately after finishing that ‘grand’ shoot.

“Good job, everyone.”

“Thank you for your hard work~”

Even while bowing to the staff, my mind was in a state of emergency.

‘Singing in front of a camera is definitely different.’

I vowed never to let my guard down on stage just because I viewed this as a ‘game’.

Despite that resolve, regret washed over me.

It was because I failed to get a ‘Perfect’ right at the start.

‘Are you crazy, Seo Dana?’

Yes. I had made a huge mistake during the recording.

The cause was missing the first note of the song I chose for the ‘Specialty’ segment.

But since suddenly raising the key mid-song would have been even weirder, I had no choice but to follow that flow and keep singing.

As a result, the song had a slight ‘flat’ tone, giving it a minor-key vibe—a profound, heavy atmosphere far from the original.

The reason this was a disaster? The genre of the song.

The song I just sang was the opening theme for a children’s animation.

I had just sung a song meant to be hopeful and bright… in that gloomy way.

⟦Even today, dragging my weary body~ I look up at that sky⟧

‘…This is driving me crazy, seriously.’

Right then, my own voice echoed from the monitor.

The staff members monitoring in the corner were playing back the hopeful lyrics I had just sung.

⟦The warm sunlight shining down~ guides our hearts⟧

⟦Clack, clack, the sound of walking steps~ Listen closely~⟧

‘Please, stop.’

Everyone only got one take, so I couldn’t beg for a redo.

Listening to my own botched performance was unbearable; I wanted to plug my ears.

It wasn’t even like I had a say in this process. (I emphasize, I definitely didn’t.)

From choosing ‘Vocal’ as my specialty to singing a cartoon theme song… it was all the result of the choice windows’ interference.

To trace it back, I have to go back to two days ago while I was practicing alone.

Out of nowhere, this screen had popped up.

—– —–

>Vocal

>Rap

>Dance

>Comedy

—– —–

There was no explanation, but I knew instinctively. This unfriendly selection was related to the ‘Specialty’ for the Self PR video.

There were only four items.

‘Rap’ wasn’t even in my stat window, so that was out. The random ‘Comedy’ concept was also out of the question.

Since my Charm and Affection stats were currently bottom-tier, I’d just be treated like an attention-seeker with a bad concept.

I had to rely on my major stats. It was better to appeal through actual skill.

That left me with two choices:

Vocal or Dance.

>Vocal: 40/100

>Dance: 35/100

These were my current levels.

Had I raised my Vocal stats this much on my own in just a few days? Not quite.

Just like with Dance, I had received help.

Unexpectedly, that helper was Kim Se-Yi.

She was a much stronger vocalist than I imagined.

I thought she’d be a dancer because of her great physique, but she was incredibly good at singing, she’s practically Main Vocal material.

She had used the same vocal room as me frequently.

I don’t know what got into her, but she gave me a lot of musical help.

I didn’t ask why, fearing I’d ruin the mood.

She even practiced in my room during the early dawn hours when few trainees were around.

Thanks to her, my Vocal stats shot up, so I didn’t complain.

I could now handle vocal parts with significant presence without issue.

So, without hesitation:

>Vocal ◁(Selected!)

But the choice window didn’t stop there. It pulled a move that made me want to swear: it pre-selected the song list.

The list was so shocking I still can’t forget it.

—– —–

>Children’s Animation Theme: ‘Green-Green Journey!’

>Famous Horror Game OST: ‘Anybody’

—– —–

‘Are you kidding me…’

Only two choices, extreme opposite vibes, and both genres I hated.

Since I didn’t know either song, I hurried to search for them.

The former was a hopeful, bright band song. The latter… words failed me.

First of all, it had no lyrics. I didn’t know if I was supposed to just hum the melody or write my own lyrics.

Even putting that aside, the former was the safer bet.

The latter was too niche; singing it in front of strangers was a recipe for an awkward atmosphere.

At least the cartoon song had some recognition. The official video had nearly 4 million views.

It seemed many people sought out the song for nostalgia.

So I chose it, and the result was… Sigh.

As I rubbed my forehead against the oncoming headache, I was forced to stop in my tracks.

“Wow. You have a great voice.”

Someone was calling out to me from behind.

Assuming it was the next trainee in line, I hid my fatigue and turned around.

It was Cha Si-hyun, a trainee who hadn’t been at the company for long.

Since she was one of the few friendly faces I knew, I recognized her immediately.

“It was really pleasant to listen to.”

“…Thank you.”

We had exchanged some small talk over the past few days.

Her cold, subtle smile was always a bit unsettling…

but I figured it might just be because we were still awkward. I held back my judgment.

“Haha, you’re so shy.”

Cha Si-hyun laughed kindly at my short answer.

‘I’m not shy, I’m awkward.’

I rebutted internally while offering a smile.

However, for someone acting so friendly, that seemed to be all she had to say.

Soon after, she simply said she had to go and left for her shoot.

‘She always just greets me like that and leaves.’

Watching her walk away, I continued on my path.

Lately, I’d been thinking that Cha Si-hyun was surprisingly passionate about the missions.

I heard she was an actor trainee appearing for marketing purposes to get her face known. I didn’t expect her to work this hard.

I guessed Hon had probably ordered it—

let her show her face on camera and then drop her at the right time.

That was common in debut shows.

‘…Maybe I should have at least cheered her on for her shoot.’

I reflexively turned my head to glance at the distant Cha Si-hyun.

I felt a bit bad, thinking my reaction had been too indifferent. It wasn’t intentional, but still.

Why did I do that?

Regardless, she was a trainee who treated me well, so it was my loss if we grew distant.

But… even knowing that, it was somehow difficult to strike up a conversation with her.

‘For some reason… she’s just a bit off-putting.’

I shook my head slightly, pushing away thoughts of Cha Si-hyun.

“Trainees who are finished can change clothes and head to practice~!”

Right, I had to hurry.

These clothes were provided by the company, and I had to return them immediately.

I quickened my pace toward the staff member gesturing to me.

On the way, I looked back at Cha Si-hyun one last time, and our eyes met again.

The timing was uncanny.

Did she see me looking, or had she been watching me the whole time?

Feeling that creepiness again, I didn’t look back a second time.

…And that evening.

“Our teaser is up!”

Lee Jinyoo shouted excitedly, knocking repeatedly on the room I shared with Chae Sunha.

The company had released a teaser without notice a day before the Self PR videos were scheduled.

It seemed they wanted to announce what kind of show it was before people got confused by the sudden influx of trainee videos.

[Hi.Light | Teaser 1. HON Entertainment’s Debut Survival Starts October 13th! | #HON #HiLight #TBQ #YLIVE_WaiApp]

The first mission hadn’t even started, but they were already revealing the broadcast date.

Well, the staff would have calculated the schedule. That wasn’t for a trainee like me to worry about.

The important thing was whether they had enough footage for a teaser when we hadn’t done anything yet.

Sure enough, the trainees barely appeared in the video. Just a few glimpses captured by the practice room cameras.

The rest was mostly footage of the production team and company staff having meetings.

The agency must have been in quite a hurry.

Seeing them scramble to release a promotional teaser like this, even after giving us the ‘Recommendation Mission’, made their desperation obvious.

Still, thanks to high-budget editing, it looked enough to raise expectations.

Of course, the biggest factor was the company name.

People weren’t interested because of the teaser itself.

They were interested because ‘that HON Entertainment’—the house of idols—was revealing their debut process.

Fortunately, that interest was gradually heating up.

‘Trending Videos #27’…

Not a bad reaction for just a single teaser.

In fact, considering it hadn’t been up long, it was quite decent.

It didn’t stop there; the rank climbed steadily in real-time.

By the time I checked again, it had reached 5th place. The momentum was incredible.

Seeing that, I finally felt a sliver of the reality of being at a major agency.

“……”

I glanced sideways at Chae Sunha, who was also re-watching the teaser next to me.

My roommate.

She seemed inwardly relieved by the massive interest in the broadcast.

But it was too early to relax. The real test was tomorrow.

The moment the Self PR videos went live would mark the true start of the first mission.

Reminding myself of that, I turned off my phone and lay down in bed.